Transportation in America just isn’t what it used to be. Terrorism and airline bankruptcies have made air travel an ordeal. Getting through airports these days is a hassle. To counter financial losses the airlines have eliminated many flights, and they overbook the others. Legroom and amenities are increasingly scarce. Intercity passenger rail travel has become an endangered species. It long since ceased to be a reasonable alternative for anything except short-haul commuter travel and people who are afraid to fly. Automobile prices continue to rise. Gas is over three dollars a gallon. Rush hour traffic only gets worse. We grew up believing the future always brought better things, new technology, faster, more comfortable ways of getting from place to place. Ironically, at a time when our technology enables us to build the most advanced, most sophisticated transportation conveyances circumstances have conspired to limit our enjoyment of them.

Modern passenger jets are marvels of advanced technology. They are the result of state-of-the-art design and manufacturing technology which has made them safer, more reliable, and more efficient. Many newer aircraft are outfitted with telephones, video entertainment systems, and some even have high-speed wireless internet access. 

Previous terrorist incidents, 9/11/2001, and the recently foiled plot to blow up ten jetliners over the Atlantic Ocean , however, have resulted in tough security measures. Screening at airports frequently results in long delays and the confiscation of personal items that now include gels and liquids. Intrusive pat-downs by security screeners and the requirement to empty pockets and remove jackets, shoes, and belts intrude on our sense of privacy.

Rising jet fuel costs along with the threat of terrorists blowing up airplanes just to kill the passengers or to use the aircraft as a guided missile have caused airlines to loose billions. To make up for this loss of revenue, the airlines have done everything possible to recoup. They’ve cut employee salaries and pensions, depressing employee morale. They’ve reduced the number of flights, seat room, and amenities to increase income per passenger mile. Many domestic flights in the US no longer serve food. They overbook flights to ensure that no seats go empty. The cumulative affect of all this is inconvenience, discomfort, and aggravation for the traveler. First and business class accommodations are certainly better than coach, but even premium class travelers are affected. The aircraft we fly in are better than ever, but we are enjoying them less.

American intercity railroads have been in decline since the advent of the Interstate Highway System and commercial jet aircraft. While millions of people ride metro rail systems in cities like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, most Americans haven’t been on a “train” for decades if ever. Subsidized train systems in Europe and Asia have survived and thrived. But the price of gas in those countries has been considerably higher than in the United States for many years, and they never turned away from train travel as Americans did. Even if we wanted to bring back the American intercity railroad system, the resources and the will of the American people to do so just aren’t there.

Like modern jetliners, modern metro rail cars embody the most advanced technology, mostly from Europe. But like air travel, riding them increasingly is a less desirable experience. They’re frequently overcrowded and in many cities plagued by vandalism and crime. People ride the local metro rail systems for a variety of reasons. Many just don’t own cars. Suburbanites ride them to avoid long and more costly automobile commutes and the unavailability or high cost of parking, but it’s a trade off.

Modern automobiles too are very sophisticated pieces of machinery. Computer aided design and computer aided manufacturing turn out cars built to tolerances that rival the best hand-made cars, and the more expensive brands have price tags to match. The latest cars also are loaded with computer chips that make engines more efficient and that run stability control, navigation, and anti-lock breaking systems. 

Whether you’re driving a stripped-down Kia or a BMW with all the extras, if you drive to work every day in a major metropolitan area, you’re spending more and more time in stop and go traffic that only gets worse year after year. And with gas prices what they are, when you stop to fill up your tank it can cost you what you would pay for a good four-course dinner and a bottle of wine at a nice restaurant.

To cut down on the number of cars on the road during rush hours, city and county governments have imposed restrictions on single occupancy vehicles. Many people carpool or pick up “slugs” so they can drive in the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. In Washington, DC, however, recently declared the city with the second longest average commute in the country, HOV lanes don’t appear to have had much effect. So more people are taking longer to get to and from work, and many of them are doing it with people they wouldn’t necessarily prefer to be in the same vehicle with if they didn’t have to. Attempts to alleviate this situation result in intense political battles within and among local governments. Appropriations for more and better roads compete with those for better metro rail systems and subsidies to make them profitable. 

The outlook for the future is not promising. Our technology will continue to allow us to make better planes, trains, and automobiles, but the environments in which they operate and the cost of their operation will continue to limit our ability to enjoy them. 

To avoid flying, many government and business people are turning to video teleconferencing, a technology that has improved significantly in recent years. This only further reduces airline profits, forcing them reduce service. Governments and many businesses are promoting telecommuting, allowing their employees to work on their computers from home, in the hope it will decrease the number of people on the highways during rush hour. It’s had little affect so far.

On the positive side, as long as you can take your iPod onto the plane or train with you at least you’ll have your favorite music handy. With a good set of noise-cancelling headphones you can close your eyes and live in your own little cocoon. And if they won’t allow us to carry liquids on the aircraft, maybe the food and drink service on the airlines will improve to prevent riots like the one that nearly occurred on the airline that kept its passengers cooped up for seven hours on the tarmac before the aircraft returned to the gate.

Telecommuting may catch on, reducing both the people who ride metro rail systems and people who drive to and from work. The discovery of some vast new petroleum reserve may cause the price of gas to plummet back to the dollar-a-gallon range. The development of engines that run on cheap alternative energy sources may revolutionize transportation altogether. Don’t hold your breath. All these things will eventually happen, but not anytime soon. In the meantime, if you must fly, make the best of it, and whether you ride the metro or drive, vote for the politicians whose transportation policies you prefer. Finally, the next time you go visit friends or relatives in another city, take the train. It would be a shame to see that great American institution gone forever.